THE PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT OF WORK STRESS: A CRITIQUE

There has been considerable growth in the number of studies focused on the relationship between stress at work and a variety of physiological symptoms, especially cardiovascular irregularities, abnormal levels of biochemicals in the blood and urine, and gastrointestinal disorders. Many of these studies, however, have used inadequate procedures for measuring such symptoms. Consequently, the results and conclusions of these studies are often invalid or, at best, questionable. The purpose of this paper is to critique the prevailing procedures used in the measurement of physiological symptoms in work stress research and to suggest needed improvements.

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